🚨😲 A Maple Creek company hit with a $9,700 fine for illegally importing pine logs from Alberta! 🌲🔥 How did they get caught? #Olds #Alberta
Sask. Company Penalized for Bringing in Pine Logs from Alberta
A call to Saskatchewan’s Turn In Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line set off an investigation that led to a significant fine for a Maple Creek-based firewood, logging, and sawmilling company. The business, Landrider Trux Ltd., was caught illegally importing pine logs from Sundre, Alberta, and has been fined over $9,700 for their actions.
Since 2008, a ministerial order in Saskatchewan has prohibited the importation of pine logs with bark from areas with known mountain pine beetle populations unless authorized in writing. This regulation aims to curb the spread of the destructive beetle, which poses a severe threat to the province’s forests. The mountain pine beetle has already devastated large forested areas in British Columbia and Alberta, and it is also present in the Cypress Hills region, putting Saskatchewan’s pine forests at considerable risk.
Investigation and Enforcement
The trouble began when a concerned caller reported to the TIPP line that Landrider Trux Ltd. was transporting unauthorized pine logs from Alberta to their site near Maple Creek. Acting on this tip, conservation officers visited the business in May 2023 and seized two piles of logs. The Ministry of Environment’s Forest Service Branch later confirmed that the seized wood originated from Sundre and had bark, a clear violation of the existing ministerial order. As a precautionary measure, the logs were promptly burned to prevent any potential spread of pests.
Protecting Saskatchewan’s Forests
The movement of infested wood is one of the primary ways forest pests, such as the mountain pine beetle, can spread from one area to another. The minister’s order specifically prohibits importing pine logs with bark from British Columbia, Alberta, and the U.S., as well as moving such logs from the Cypress Hills area to other parts of Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan government remains vigilant in enforcing these measures to protect the province’s forested areas from invasive species that threaten local ecosystems and forestry industries. This recent enforcement action serves as a reminder of the serious consequences businesses face when violating these important environmental regulations.